The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 1999
Therapeutic efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation for hereditary spinocerebellar degeneration.
We applied transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a therapeutic approach for patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD). The subjects were four familial SCD patients (three men and one woman) aged from 27 to 76 years old. They were genetically analysed as two spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA 6), one SCA 1, and one SCA 7. ⋯ It is of interest that the blood flow of the cerebellar hemisphere, putamen and pons were significantly increased during the TMS trial. Although we do not know the exact mechanism by which TMS improved the ataxic gait, we speculate the increase of blood flow in the cerebellum, putamen and pons takes part in the improvement. These findings suggest that TMS over the cerebellum may be an effective therapy for patients with SCD.